Fat Panda

About Fat Panda

Lula said he intends to discuss the matter with his team and analyse potential measures to consider the social impact of online betting.

What the president does not acknowledge is that the government relies on revenue from the sector. In just the first seven months of 2026, BRL8.747 billion generated by sports betting has already flowed into public coffers. The Federal Revenue Service estimates the total could reach BRL16 billion by the end of the year. In 2025, nearly BRL9 billion was collected from sportsbooks.

The burning question is where such funds will come from if Lula shuts down the betting industry. Yet, no one points out to him that players will simply migrate to the illegal market. Betting will continue to exist, but without formal tax revenue, oversight or player protections.

What is Fat Panda?

Excluding lotteries, the Gambling Commission reported that GGY rose 4.7% to £13.2 billion ($17.7 billion) between April 2025 and March 2026.

Growth was strongest online, where remote casino, betting, and bingo GGY climbed 6.9% to £8.3 billion ($11.1 billion), compared with a modest 1.1% increase across land-based sectors.

This digital expansion coincided with a continued shrinkage in physical retail. Great Britain had 8,081 licensed premises at the end of the period, down 2% year-on-year.

How to play Fat Panda

Her previous leadership roles include chairing the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), the Bar Standards Board and acting as a lay member of the General Medical Council. 

Evans also served as a non-executive director of the Serious Fraud Office. She led the steering group responsible for a voluntary industry code that reimburses victims of authorised push payment (APP) scams, introduced in 2018.

Ahead of his departure Counsell said the Commission was developing a new strategy and ramping up its work to tackle illegal gambling, with Evans set to play a “pivotal” role as it also finalises measures from the Gambling Act review’s subsequent white paper.